Friday, August 16, 2013

Getting to Know Amber- Part 1

Whatever comes first, I'll try to do one of these entries every three "journal entries" or once a week.When I got my three composition notebooks, I'd planned on starting a short story or novella telling the back story for each of my characters (with the exception of Talia because the majority of her character arc will be the makings of "Te Busque").I have a few questions yet to be answered about Ruby and Scarlet, so I decided it'd be easier to start with Amber.I also have the most songs on her playlist so I have slightly more to work with, heck of a lot more than Vanessa, Ruby and Scarlet combined.While writing today's "entry," I realized one thing:Amber is likely the least educated of all the girls, so her language really isn't that great. She probably doesn't even know how to read or write well.Also, initially when I started writing dialogue for her, I heard a Megan Fox type voice coming out, via her character from "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen".But taking her background into account, she could just as easily have a ghetto/street dialect.This is what I have so far:

Amber left the group home when she was14

I haven't figured out why the bullying happened, but I do know that the boys started being abusive when she was 10. Apparently because she "developed" earlier than the other girls...

In getting as far from "home" as possible, she stayed the night at various shelters, mostly for women and children. She talks about being sympathetic to them... something odd, given her temperament, but deep down, just maybe it'll come into play later on

She was rejected by the first few bars & restaurants she applied for because she was only 14... so she decided to fake her age, say she was 16 because some people thought she looked older than she was

The Montiels took to her right away and knew of a place she could stay

Alejandro lives down the way and "I think I'm in love with him"

From here, the possibilities are endless.While catching up with "All my children," I think I saw the perfect candidate for Alejandro. Granted, this character was someone looking for money Colby borrowed from him, so he's not a good guy.But all that aside, the look of him was perfect. He gave me the exact vibe I was looking for, just not the same dialogue.What struck me about him was that he had a shaved head and somehow it brought the whole look together.So maybe Alejandro could have come from a different place when he met Talia. He might have been the type of guy who lived the high life and really didn't apply himself or give serious thought to his future... and quote "Talia made me want to be a better man so I could be good enough to be with her"... that type of thingBut given Amber's circumstances at this point, he could help her be better. Help her learn how to read and write better than she knows how so she can be a better waitress.Right now the biggest question on my mind: what is Casa de Montiel like? What sets it apart for Amber, aside from the fact they were the only place that would hire her?I think she'd be on board for the changes, the possibilities of making it more exciting so they'd get more people coming in, etc, etc.But she'll be opposed to the idea when she sees the full extent of Talia's plans, but she can't bring herself to say anything about it. She just wants to be part of the team and do what she can to set herself apart and hopefully keep a balance.This plan is thwarted when her ideas aren't quite up to par.I'm hoping by my next entry here that I'll have answered some of the key questions.1) who are the two guys I see her dancing with?2) what is the relationship between her and Alejandro like?3) how do Vanessa and Scarlet work into all this?come to think of it, 4) how many more entries before Scarlet shows up? I'm sure Alejandro and her will need a little time to get to know each other before I bring in anyone else. She has to be there for at least a year and well established before Scarlet enters the mix